Packaging toy.



W. A. COVENTRY.

PACKAGING TOY.

APPLICATION msu MAR. 2o, |917.

LQS?? Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

f UNITED STATE@ PATENT OFFIQE.

WILLIAM A. COVENTRY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GREY IRONCASTING COMPANY, OF MOUNT. JOY, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

PACKAGING TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. Me, 1917.

Application led March 20, 1917. Serial No. 156,139.

To all whom t may Concern:

Be it known that I, I/VILLmM A. CovEN- TRY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of Lancaster, in the county ofLancaster, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Packaging Toys, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates broadly to packaging and more specifically to themethod of packing small individual articles and also tothe packageformed by the said method. The principal object of the present inventioncomprises the method of packing individual articles, more particularlytoy soldiers, by arranging the individual articles in groups and thuspacking a complete group in complemental relation with another group.

An equally primary object of the present invention comprises a packageof individual members, for eXampletoy soldiers, secured to a base platecarrying a separating sheet whereby the individual articles are arrangedin groups and the separating sheets constitute partitions between thevarious groups of members packaged.

A further object of the present invention comprises the method ofpacking articles, for example toy soldiers, by mounting the individualsoldiers upon a suitable spacing strip and securing a partition memberto the spacing strip in such manner as to retain the soldiers in groupsand to enable the groups to be nested with the individual figuresseparated to prevent breakage.'

AV still further and important object of the present invention is apackage of toy soldiers comprising bases carrying the soldiers, whichbases are securely fixed to sepa-4 rating sheets inl such manner thatwhen separating sheets are arranged horizontal the base retains theindividual figures hori- Zontal and spacedY from the surrounding sidewalls with the individual figures separated one from the other.

Other and further objects of the present invention will in part beobvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specificationfollowing by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like partsare represented by like characters throughout the several figuresthereof.

Figure l is a perspective view illustrating a group of toy soldiersarranged ready to be packaged.

Fig. 2 is an end view illustrating the group shown in Fig. l as wrappedin tissue paper or other suitable packing sheets.

Fig. 3 is an end view and illustrates two wrapped groups nested andarranged for packing in a suitable box or container.

Fig. t is an end view illustrating the packaging of two groups in asingle unit.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a plurality of group unitsnested in a suitable container.

I-Ierctofore in the art it has been common practice in packaging a smallarticle, such as toy soldiers, to place the individual articles looselyin the container, either with or without wrapping the individual toys.In this type of packaging there is possibility of the individual toysbeing broken or the package damaged so that the toys are not in salablecondition when unpacked. A still further objection to loose packing isthat where various groups or kinds of toys, for example sets of soldiersincluding infantry and cavalry, are heterogeneously packed togetherthere is always a possibility of miscount in arranging the toysoriginally and the requirement of assortment when the toys are`unpacked.Such heterogeneous packing also requires special treatment of the toysby a dealer in order to arrange' the toys attractively for display.

The present invention includes more especially improvements in packingtoy soldiers and the like and comprises a suitable base or strip uponwhich a predetermined number of a certain type of toy soldiers may bemounted and which base carries a suitable separating sheet which may beformed of cardboard and may carry an outdoor 4scene printed orlithographed on the face of the sheet and of suchi size preferably as tobe slightly wider than twice the height of the individual figures. Bythis arrangement it will be noted that the base or strip carrying thetoys may be of a predetermined length relatively to the individualmembers so that when the base is filled with a predetermined characterof toys, for eX- ample infantry, the number of individual members isautomatically predetermined. This obviates the necessity of countingeach individual member during the packaging operation. Furthermore,since the images are secured to the base and since the base carries aseparating sheet all that is necesrating sheets on each side of thebases thereby inclosing the figures and then wrapping the two assembledgroups as a single unit. Furthermore, as soon as the groups areunwrapped they are ready for display and require no labor of assembly orcounting on the part of the dealer. In other words, the entire groupincluding the base and the separating sheet becomes an article of saleas soon as it is unwrapped.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the individual images 1are provided with suitable bases 2 which are adapted to fit in thegroove 4 in the wooden base strip 5, which carries the separating sheet6. The separating sheet may be attached to the wooden bases in any oneof a plurality of different manners, but preferably is secured by asmall brad 7 driven through the back of the sheet and into the woodenVbase strip 5. When the individual gures have been alined in suchquantity as suliicient to substantially fill the base strip more brads 8may be driven into the base of the grooves 4 at the ends of the strip,thereby securely locking the figures within the base strip. After thegures are locked in position the assembled groups may be inclosed in awrapping of tissue paper 9 or suitable packing material as is indicatedin Fig. 2. Y When two such groups have been so wrapped they may beassembled by reversing one group relatively to the other and superposingthese groups as indicated in Fig. 3. It is feasible to package the toysin accordance with this invention by grouping two units within a singlewrapping by placing the separating sheets adjacent the edge of theopposite base with the units reversed and then wrapping the groups in asingle package as is illustrated in Fig. 4.

After suitable units of groups of members haveA been wrapped, either inaccordance with the plan shown in Fig. 2 or that shown in Fig. 4, thegroups may be assembled by stacking the groups one upon the other withina suitable container which may comprise a pasteboard box l0. When suchbox has been suitably filled the completed package has been formed.

Realizing that my invention may be carried out in structures other thanthe specic devices herewith disclosed I desire that the disclosure beunderstood as illustrative and not to be considered in the limitingsense.

I-Iaving thus described my invention what I claim is 1. The method ofpacking individual articles, which consists in securing articles uponsubstantially the mid-center line of a suitable spacing member; securinga separating sheet to said spacing member; then superimposing saidspacing members in alternation with separating sheets in such manner asto provide a space into which articles extend out of contact with thespacing sheets.

2. The method of packing toy soldiers and the like, which comprisesproviding a suitable spacing strip or base; securing said toy soldiersto said base in such manner that the figure portions of said toysoldiers are alined with the center line of said base;

then providingseparating sheets secured to -wrapping assembled units;and then stacking said assembled units in a suitable container with thebases adjacent the side walls of the container and the separating sheetsextending transversely across the container and substantially parallelto the bottom thereof.

4. A package of toy soldiers and the like comprising a base stripprovided with a groove, a` plurality of toy soldiers provided with basesconstructed to 'lit within the said groove, means to retain said toysoldiers within said groove7 and a separating sheet secured to one edgeof said base strip and extending at right angles from said base strip toa distance substantially twice the height of the individual toysoldiers.

5. A package of toy soldiers and the like comprising, in combination, asuitable base strip, means to secure individual toy soldiers to saidbase strip, a separating sheet secured to the edge of said base stripand extending .substantially parallel to the figures of the toysoldiers, and means to retain said toy soldiers interlocked with saidbase strip.

6. A package of toy soldiers and the like comprising, in combination, asuitable base strip, a separating sheet secured to the edge of said basestrip and extending at substantially right angles thereto, a pluralityof toy soldiers `mounted upon said base strip and extendingsubstantially parallel to said separating sheet, anda suitable ycontainer for inclosing the assembled unit, the width of said containerbeing slightly greater than the width of the separating sheet. Y 7. Apackage of toy soldiers. and the like comprising a unitary group of toysoldiers, sheets substantially parallel to the bottom a suitable basecarrying a separating sheet, and top of said container whereby theindil@ said Soldiers being mounted upon substanvidual toys are retainedin compartments tially the center line of said base, a. suitable formedof said bases and separating sheets container, a plurality of unitarygroups and With the individual toy soldiers spaced stacked Within thesaid Container Wit-li bases one from another.

olf the groups arranged adjacent the side walls of the container and theseparating WILLIAM A. COVENTRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1).(1.

